Constipation
Constipation is the passage (difficulty passing stools - straining) of small amounts of hard, dry bowel movements, usually defined as "fewer" than three times a week. Almost everyone gets constipated from time to time. Some people believe they are constipated, or irregular, if they do not have a bowel movement every day. There is no right number of daily or weekly bowel movements. Normal may be three times a day or three times a week depending on the person. Some people naturally have firmer stools than others. Normal bowel habits vary from one person to the next. Whenever a significant or prolonged change in bowel habits occurs, check with your doctor.How the Large Intestine (colon) Works
As food moves through the large intestine (colon), it absorbs water while forming waste products, or stool. Muscle contractions in the colon push the stool toward the rectum. By the time the stool reaches the rectum, it is solid because most of the water has been absorbed. The hard and dry stools of constipation occur when the colon absorbs too much water or if the colon's muscle contractions are slow or sluggish, causing the stool to move through the colon too slowly.
Sometimes constipation can lead to complications. These complications include hemorrhoids (caused by straining to have a bowel movement) or anal fissures (tears in the skin around the anus) caused when hard stool stretches the sphincter muscle.
Constipation may also cause hard stool to pack the intestine and rectum so tightly that the normal pushing action of the colon is not enough to expel the stool. This condition, called fecal impaction, occurs most often in children and older adults. An impaction can be softened with mineral oil taken by mouth and by an enema. After softening the impaction, the doctor may break up and remove part of the hardened stool by inserting one or two fingers into the anus. Laxatives can be dangerous to children and should be given only with a doctor's approval.
Glossary For This Page
Hemorrhoids
Pronounced - HEM-royd
Swollen blood vessels in and around the anus and lower rectum. Continual straining to have a bowel movement causes them to stretch and swell. They cause itching, pain, and sometimes bleeding.
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